Professional Documents
Culture Documents
66
May 2005
Some teens become overloaded with stress. When it happens, inadequately managed
stress can lead to anxiety, withdrawal, aggression, physical illness, or poor coping skills
such as drug and/or alcohol use.
When we perceive a situation as difficult or painful, changes occur in our minds and
bodies to prepare us to respond to danger. This "fight, flight, or freeze response
includes faster heart and breathing rate, increased blood to muscles of arms and legs, cold
or clammy hands and feet, upset stomach and/or a sense of dread.
The same mechanism that turns on the stress response can turn it off. As soon as we
decide that a situation is no longer dangerous, changes can occur in our minds and bodies
to help us relax and calm down. This "relaxation response includes decreased heart and
breathing rate and a sense of well being. Teens that develop a "relaxation response and
other stress management skills feel less helpless and have more choices when responding
to stress.
Parents can help their teen in these ways:
Helping Teenagers Deal with Stress, Facts for Families, No. 66 (05/05)
Teens can decrease stress with the following behaviors and techniques:
By using these and other techniques, teenagers can begin to manage stress. If a teen talks
about or shows signs of being overly stressed, a consultation with a child and adolescent
psychiatrist or qualified mental health professional may be helpful.
For additional information see Facts for Families:
#4 The Depressed Child
#47 The Anxious Child
#24 When to Seek Help
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The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) represents over 8,500 child and
adolescent psychiatrists who are physicians with at least five years of additional training beyond medical
school in general (adult) and child and adolescent psychiatry.
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Helping Teenagers Deal with Stress, Facts for Families, No. 66 (05/05)
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If you need immediate assistance, please dial 911.
Copyright 2012 by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.